Spinster DIY: Password Painting

If you have wifi in your apartment, you are very familiar with people wanting to know your password. The problem is that the passwords are so long, they're kind of hard to remember or read out to someone. But fear not! I have a solution! Inspired by my mom's friend Jill, I decided to display my wifi password in my home.

Because my apartment was (and is) ironically sorely in need of artwork for its walls, I knew the wifi password should masquerade as a piece of art. So I painted it, and I think you should, too! Below you'll see my step-by-step pictorial, but I'll go into greater detail after the image. Check it out! (Right click on the image and choose "open image in new tab," to see more detail.

What you'll need:

- One canvas of any size (see point two for more information)

- Paintbrushes 

- A Projector

- A Computer

- A Printer

- A Pen and paper

- A Wifi password

What to do:

1. Find your wifi password: 

          Back in the days of the internet wild, wild west, you had to make up your own password and write it down somewhere, just hoping you'd remember it. Now, it should be conveniently located on the back of your router. And honestly, if you can't find your password, I'm not sure how you're reading this blog post...unless you're on your phone. In that case, I am sorry.

2. Write down your password, and count the number of digits:

          My personal wifi password, though not displayed here, is 16 digits long. That was helpful in that it was easily divided into a a matrix that would fit on a canvas. The good news here is that you can figure out what kind of configuration you want and then buy the appropriate canvas. If your password only breaks down into two even rows, choose a canvas that is more horizontal. You be the judge of what's going to look the best!

3. In your computer, create a document that is the same size as your canvas. Type your password in, dividing it into columns of equal amounts of characters.

          As stated un point #2, this doesn't have to be four rows of four. Whatever will work best for your password is what you should do. I used Adobe Illustrator for this part of the project, but you could easily use Microsoft word or even powerpoint if you are so inclined.

4. Enlarge your typing and distribute the letters and numbers evenly throughout the page.

          With my painting, made a matrix of characters that filled the whole canvas. However, if you prefer that the password only take up the top or bottom or left or right portion, that's up to you! Do whatever you think is cool. The only important thing here is that the painting is legible. 

5. Print your document in a size that will work with your projector.

          My home projector only has a 3.5" x 3.5" window, so it's impossible for me to project full sized images. Some projectors, however, can take full size images. However, if you are not using an opaque projector and have opted instead for an overhead projector in the classic math class sense, you may want to trace your paper onto a transparency. And, if you're using one of those projectors that hooks directly into your iPhone, can I borrow it? I want one.

6. Project your text onto your canvas, and trace with a pencil. 

          Just be sure everything looks even to you before you start tracing. 

7. Paint the background, let it dry, then paint the numbers.

          Of course, you can paint your painting in any order you choose. I just like to paint the background first, go back and paint the numbers, and then hit any messy edges a second time with the background color once the numbers have dried.

8. Once your painting has dried, find the perfect spot where everyone will be able to see it, and hang it up! Voila! You're an artist, and you've made you and your guests' lives easier. Enjoy!